AMESBURY - Many Amesbury High School seniors will spend Friday night at the prom - dressed up, dancing and socializing with friends.

Kim Parkin and Meghann Tassinari may not be among them.

The two seniors will find out this morning whether school officials will reverse their decision prohibiting their dates from attending the dance at Danversport Yacht Club.

High School Principal Les Murray said it's the first time in his six years at the school that administrators have denied a request to let students bring dates who don't attend Amesbury High. School officials won't discuss the specific reason for the denials, but the girls and parents contacted by The Daily News say they have been told it is due to the school's concerns about the boys' past behaviors. They are both former Amesbury High School students.

The girls, their parents, and their dates' parents have argued there is nothing to worry about. They've talked with school officials and asked them to reconsider. The girls have tried to meet with the mayor, and Tassirani has gotten 100 students to sign a petition in support.

School officials have agreed to look into the matter further and will let them know today if they can bring their dates.

"We haven't made the final decision yet," Murray said yesterday.

Like many schools in the area, Amesbury has a policy requiring dates from outside the school to be screened. A form is filled out, then reviewed by school administrators. It must be accompanied by a reference - either a school administrator or employer - saying the student won't be disruptive. Also, a copy of a license or student identification must be provided.

The girls say they found out Friday afternoon - one week before the dance - that school officials had rejected the application forms.

Parkin said her mother broke the news to her during a cell phone call as she was driving home from picking up her royal blue prom gown at a Newburyport shop.

"I was in tears; I was bawling," Parkin, 18, said. "It was such a shock."

Parkin said school officials told her their decision was based on her 20-year-old boyfriend's past behavior while he was a student at Amesbury High. Her boyfriend had a verbal argument with another student two years ago, and last year, she and her boyfriend got into a shouting match in a school hallway, she said. He left Amesbury High School a year ago to attend night school.

Parkin said her father wrote a letter to school officials on her boyfriend's behalf, telling them he will not be a threat and urging them to change their minds.

Tassinari, 17, said her date, an 18-year-old friend from Amesbury, left the high school in November to attend a night school program. Tassinari acknowledged that he had problems while at Amesbury High from skipping class to "mouthing off" to teachers. He also has a past issue with an ex-girlfriend, another Amesbury High student, that resulted in court action, she and the boy's parent said.

But Tassinari and Parkin say their dates wouldn't cause any problems Friday and they aren't a threat to any promgoers.

"It's not fair for them," Tassinari said. "They're not bad kids."

Neither of the boys nor their parents wanted to be interviewed for this story.

Behavior rules

About 15 to 20 students from outside of Amesbury usually attend a school dance, Murray said. Murray said officials perform "due diligence" in making sure invited guests will behave appropriately. Through the paperwork, school officials also get safety information for the invited guests in case of an emergency, he said.

Dean of Student Activities Elizabeth McAndrews declined to say yesterday why Parkin and Tassinari's dates were not accepted.

McAndrews said the two assistant principals made the decision on whether guests could come. McAndrews, who is in her first year in Amesbury, said she didn't have the history or knowledge to make the choices alone.

The final decision will likely be made by the two assistant principals and Murray, McAndrews said.

Prom tickets went on sale a month ago, but the girls said they didn't get the form until the week before April vacation. The girls say if they knew their dates couldn't come with them earlier, it could have saved them a lot of money and allowed time to look for other dates.

"To find out a week before is absolutely unheard of," Parkin said.

McAndrews said the form was available a month ago, but not all students turned it in early.

"We're in a time squeeze," she said. "I still got some today."

The girls estimate they each spent between $500 and $800 on the prom. The costs have added up, from tickets that are $73 each, to their dresses and tuxedos and accessories, as well as hair appointments, manicures and tanning.

This past week - one that's full of excitement and anticipation for their peers - has been stressful for them, the girls said. Discussions with their close-knit group of friends is centered on the prom and the after parties, they say, as they've been left wondering whether they should keep their tanning appointments.

Tassinari said her light pink gown is still being altered.

The girls say they haven't decided what they will do if they are told their dates can't come. Their friends are all going as couples, they say, and they don't want to go alone or find a last-minute date. But they also don't want to stay home and think about what they're missing.

"It just feels like it's been stomped all over," Parkin said. "It's ruined."

If they do go, the girls say they'll have a good time - after all, it's one of their last events of high school and a chance for final memories.

"It's a special night," Tassinari said. "We're graduating in four weeks."

For Parkin, who is heading to New York City on May 29 to begin a program with the American Ballet Theatre, the prom is her final chance to spend time with her classmates. She'll be missing all the Senior Week activities and only returning to Amesbury June 1 to participate in graduation, for which she's been asked to sing the national anthem.

"All I have left is the senior prom," she said.